Service Learning, Diversity, and Teacher Education

Students' academic success depends in great part on the quality of their teachers. Although this idea is accepted by educational scholars and policymakers alike, the practice of preparing teachers with the dispositions, knowledge, and practices necessary to provide all students—particularly those students who historically have been left behind by the public school system—with high-quality opportunities to learn remains a formidable challenge. Evidence suggests that many teachers lack an understanding of the cultural communities from which their students come, and lack the pedagogical know-how to connect students' learning and knowledge out of school with their experiences in school. Research also indicates that in general, teachers hold lower expectations for students of color, low-income students, and English language learners in ways that translate into lower-quality learning opportunities ...